Soeharto to visit South Sumatra this month

Soeharto to visit South Sumatra this month

JAKARTA (JP): Women, archeology and fertilizer do not really
have anything in common but they will when President Soeharto
travels to South Sumatra's capital of Palembang on Dec. 22.

On that day, the President will inaugurate National Women's
Day, a park for the research of the ancient kingdom of Sriwijaya
and a new production unit of PT PUSRI, the state-owned fertilizer
firm.

State Minister of Women's Roles Mien Sugandhi, Minister of
Education and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro, Coordinating Minister
of Industry and Trade Hartarto and South Sumatra Governor Ramli
Hasan Basri yesterday reported together to Soeharto about the
preparations.

Although the precise location of the seat of Sriwijaya is
still widely disputed by historians, Palembang has won official
recognition as the archeological site for research of the Hindu
kingdom which once ruled most of Indonesia.

Ramli said yesterday that a plaque dating back to seventh
century was recently found in Kedukan Bukit near Palembang to
further confirm the claim about the location of the kingdom.

This is the oldest script ever found in Indonesia to date.

Recent satellite photos also found traces of man-made canals
linking the Musi river to the Kedukan Bukit which were built
during the heyday of Sriwijaya, he said, adding that the canals
formed a gigantic task given the simple tools and technology of
the time.

The site has now been converted into an archeological park
which Soeharto will inaugurate later this month.

The women's day will also be celebrated in the same place on
Dec.22, he said. Among the guests invited will be a group of
women leaders from Myanmar.

Soeharto will also travel to the PT PUSRI plant to inaugurate
the B1 unit which will make it the largest fertilizer plant in
Southeast Asia, he added. (emb)